Maxwell Wozniak’s 2023 Annual Conference Student Scholar Reflection
Maxwell Wozniak
Risk Management and Insurance Major, St. John's University
As a recipient of the PRIMA scholarship, I was given an amazing opportunity to interact with industry professionals, meet various firms and better understand the importance of networking. As a student, I felt as if I was thrown into a new world. Thankfully, PRIMA provided us with the wonderful help of mentors and staff for a stress-free transition. Everyone was incredibly kind and generous with the many lessons I gained from each interaction. Even more so, I had the chance to attend a few learning sessions which discussed social inflation and risk pooling to name a few.
I believe the convention hall was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was interesting to see the setups of the many companies with piles of merch they brought. I learned, however, that the companies with the best merch created a networking hotspot. Tons of people would flock around the booth and start up conversations. The risk managers, brokers, software engineers and others all have something to gain from one another.
The different reasons why people attend the conference became evident. We spent a week in a bubble of events; some for learning and others for enjoyment. As I listened to the conversations, I could hear brokers discussing with risk managers from across the country. The PRIMA conference, from a networking perspective, provided public risk professionals with an opportunity otherwise seemingly unattainable.
Everyone in this industry, no matter how experienced, has something to learn from others. Most conversations took place between risk managers from different cities discussing problems and solutions they encountered. Working together, the PRIMA community betters itself to improve public risk management collectively.
Previous to the conference, my knowledge was fairly limited to private risk. I had no idea how important the role of the risk management department in cities was. After many conversations, I gained a deeper understanding of why many risk managers self insure, form risk pools or select to purchase insurance. Even more important than insurance is risk mitigation. The PRIMA conference was a location in which risk managers shared techniques and strategies they use to reduce the risk in their cities.
Additionally, I was able to network with the other student scholarship recipients. It was great to have the shared experience and build future industry relationships. Traveling as a group the entire week, we became close over our shared interests. The networking happy hours were especially enjoyable to build bonds as we tasted great food and listened to the live band.
This conference will hopefully be the first of many! It was an experience I will never forget, and it encourages me to push on in this industry.
*The views and opinions expressed in the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) blogs are those of each respective author. The views and opinions do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of PRIMA.*
By: Maxwell Wozniak
Risk Management and Insurance Major, St. John's University
Maxwell is a freshman in the business honors program, studying risk management and insurance at St. John’s University. Outside of his academics, he is a senator representing the business school in the student government on campus. Additionally, he is a member of the ambassador program, which gives him the opportunity to represent his university to prospective students. Most importantly, he holds the executive board position, Director of Internal Relations, with Gamma Iota Sigma. This organization has truly shaped his first-year experience by providing him with an outlet to learn outside the classroom by means of site visits, conferences and networking events. He received the Platinum Membership Award last fall for demonstrating the highest commitment to the chapter. In his free time, he enjoys golfing and getting involved on
